Gumball's love trouble
by SneakyDekuScrub
Summary: Gumball discovers a dark family secret and winds up being put into a deep depression. In the process of his depression he realizes he has multiple girls had fallen for him. Which will he chose? Review please
1. Chapter 1 A sad truth

Chapter 1: A Sad Truth

During the average day in Elmore City, the sky was dark with clouds as close to raining, but in one neighborhood the sound of a couple of children playing could be heard. "Dodge or dare!" a duo roared in the back yard of one residence. Two kids were playing a ridiculous game they had made up. A thirteen year old young blue cat and his younger eleven year old goldfish brother were the only ones to ever play it. "Alright now, take a card, Gumball" the fish said to the kitten who was named Gumball. Gumball nodded and took a card from the top of the deck.

"Shoot a bowling ball into the shed by bouncing it off something," the card read. Gumball saw no harm in it like usual. "Alright, Darwin, watch and learn," he told his younger sibling. Darwin nodded and held the shed door open while Gumball went over to a pile of junk they usually brought to play this game with and quickly got to work. While inside a cloud of smoke, he made a big rubber band slingshot and had it already loaded with a big bowling ball. "I think you broke your building time record, dude," Darwin said since the duo played this game a lot, even though were well known for causing lots of antics throughout town.

"Well let's see if this works," Gumball said, letting go and shooting the bowling ball. It slammed into the fence and bounced off to the other direction, heading straight for the shed and unexpectedly slamming into Darwin, knocking him out cold. Gumball came over and looked at his unconscious brother. "Huh… first time that's happened to someone other than me," he claimed since it was abnormal.

"Gumball, honey, come here!" his mother called. Gumball left Darwin passed out by the shed, and when he went inside he saw his mother, another older blue cat who wore a light blue collared shirt, a grey skirt and a rainbow pin on her shirt representing where she worked. She was called Nicole. "What is it, mom?" Gumball asked. "I was wondering if you wanted to go anywhere special for your birthday?" she questioned since his fourteenth birthday was coming up soon.

"…Not that I can think of…" Gumball said scratching his head. "Well you have four more days to think about it," Nicole claimed and went to get back to what she normally did since she usually handled all of the practical chores in the house. Gumball thought that he should probably go get Darwin out from the backyard, so he headed back outside to do that.

Later that night, Gumball was sitting at the kitchen table with his younger siblings Darwin and a five year old pink rabbit named Anais who was considered smarter than them. "Where's mom and dad?" Anais asked since their parents weren't at the table which was really odd especially for their dad. "What? ...Sorry, I think that hit I took today messed up my hearing…" Darwin said rubbing one of his ringing ears, along with a black eye and bruises on his face. Gumball nervously chuckled. "Yeah, I'll uh go get them," he insisted, getting up from the table and making his way through the living room that had only a big couch and a television.

As Gumball began to get up only the first few steps, he heard yelling coming from a room upstairs. He glanced back to the kitchen knowing that his siblings couldn't hear it. Gumball began going up the steps as quietly as possible. The farther up he got the louder the shouting was heard. He arrived to his parents' room in the dark hallway with the door creaked open, leaning up against the wall and wondering what they were arguing about since they always were before his birthday.

"Richard, why do you get so upset every time I buy him flowers? It's the least I can do for him!" Nicole asked the overweight pink rabbit she had for a husband. Normally he was lazy but whenever he acted different she welcomed it. "Because it's just your biggest mistake ever that we've been trying to forget all these years, and you doing this keeps bringing it back!" Richard yelled in response. "He's dead! You don't have to be so worked up over it!" she said. Gumball was just listening confusedly though he hated hearing them argue.

"…Alright, fine! Can we talk about telling Gumball the truth then?" Richard asked having calmed down. "What? Are you serious?" Nicole asked and laughed sarcastically. "He's going to be 14! The longer we wait to tell him, the more it will hurt him when he finds out!" he explained what was wrong with keeping. Whatever this lie was it actually made sense and Richard was being smart which he rarely did. "No way! I'm going to let this secret go to our graves! I'm going to take these flowers to his grave tomorrow like always and then we don't have to think about it for another year," she said not wanting to continue this argument any longer.

"So you think that it's fine not to tell Gumball that he isn't really my son?" Richard asked back. Gumball's eyes widened hearing this. Nicole sighed and held her head. "No, I hate that too, but I don't want our son to despise you over a fourteen year secret! I just got stressed out and drank too much the night before our wedding, and one thing led to the other with my friends and somehow I wound up with Triston," Nicole sat down on the bed beside Richard. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, getting upset over just thinking about it. Richard rubbed her back.

Gumball walked back downstairs, dragging his tail along. His ears were lowered and his soul was broken along with his heart. He was not sure what he should do about it, but he knew one thing by default. He was not going to tell his brother and sister about this since he knew it was likely going to arise more problems. Gumball skipped out on dinner completely and headed straight to bed, while having a small idea in the process.

End of Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2 The changed boy

Chapter 2: The Changed Boy

Gumball had gone to bed early, not wanting to see his family for that night. He felt heartbroken since he overheard his parents' argument over his true father. Early in the morning, Nicole was getting up much earlier then she usually did, taking the flowers she had bought and taking them from the closest they were hidden away in, and grabbing her car keys. She went outside to her car and put the flowers in the back. She climbed inside and started it up, but what she didn't was that Gumball had hidden himself in the trunk of the car, having slept there for the whole night.

While Nicole drove across town, she was depressed like usual for this time of the year. It only took about half an hour before Gumball felt the car come to a stop. Nicole grabbed the flowers from the back seat and made her way into a wide graveyard. Gumball climbed out of the trunk and secretly followed, hiding behind tombstones to try and keep up with his mother until he saw her approach one tombstone, setting the flowers in front of them.

Nicole just stayed in front of it for a while. She was silent for the moment, and after a while she sighed as she walked away since she had to get to work. When gumball saw his mother drive away he approached the grave and crouched down in front of it, wiping some moss that was covering the grave away. "Here lies Triston Smith," the words read to Gumball. He sat down in front of it seeing that Triston barely had a lifespan of twenty three years and lower, on the grave it read that he had been killed in a car crash.

"…Why wouldn't they tell me?" Gumball asked himself starting to notice a similarity in names since his middle name was Tristopher, apparently having it as a middle name as a secret honor of his real father. He sat there for a long time, lingering in his own depression while in the graveyard feeling like something had stolen his soul. He suddenly began hearing a ringing noise. He pulled out a small blue cellphone and put it up to his ear. "Hello…?" Gumball answered with no emotion in his voice. "Hey dude, where are you? The bus will be here in half an hour!" it was Darwin and he was worried for his older brother since he had mysteriously vanished on the family.

"I'll meet you at school. I left my backpack in my locker anyway," Gumball answered. He hung up and stood up from the grave. He walked away from his true father's grave, not able to show even a faint smile. Nothing could cheer him up at all.

When Gumball arrived to his school, he was the first student there. He walked into the front door and traveled through the halls depressingly, dragging his tail behind him while it was on the floor and his ears hung low in depression. He got his backpack from his locker and headed to his first class which was math. He arrived he opened the door and saw his teacher, a very old baboon with dark grey fur with a homely haggard primate face. She was wearing a brownish–red polka-dotted dress. She is rather skinny for a primate and solely walked on two legs.

"Hey, Miss Simian," Gumball unhappily greeted her, knowing that it was going to be a while before any other students will arrive. Normally Miss Simian despised Gumball and would go out of her own way to ruin any of his mischievous plans. She was shocked to find him first in class and early nonetheless. "Oh, you're here already. Well, since you're early in, why don't you turn in your homework?" Miss Simian asked holding her hand out for it. "Sorry…" he responded sadly. "Oh, let me guess. You lost it? You accidently washed it again?" she kept piling on her questions since he normally made up excuses to why he didn't do his homework.

"I didn't get around to doing it. I left my backpack at school. Can I do it before class starts and get more tonight as punishment?" Gumball offered. Miss Simian's eyes widened. Just hearing the request for punishment from him alone gave her creeps. It was something she thought she would never hear. His depression was noticeable but she didn't make note about it. "Uh, w-why don't you just go make copies of this test and just call it even," she said awkwardly handing him a piece of paper and a key to the teacher's lounge. Gumball nodded and put his backpack on his desk before he left the classroom, leaving Miss Simian scratching her head.

Gumball did just as Miss Simian told him to do with no elaborate trick to get into the teacher's lounge where the printer was. He was sitting in class working on homework much to Miss Simian's discomfort. It felt odd to have him, out of all the students, to be in early. "Here. Sorry I didn't do it last night," Gumball apologized in his emotionless tone. He was acting like a completely different person today. She just took his homework and began grading it like she normally did before the class started, and the rest of the students came, most of them being just as surprised as their teacher was with Gumball being early.

"Where were you this morning dude?" Darwin asked while sitting beside his older brother. "Out…" Gumball simply answered looking down at the test paper which Miss Simian had slipped on his desk as he began working on it along with the rest of the class.

Later in the school day, lunchtime had started and Darwin was at his locker putting his backpack away. When he closed the locker he saw a friend of his, a ghost girl with her hair combed over one of her eyes and a hair bow with a skull on it. She was considered an emo social floater who had participated in Gumball and Darwin's antics. "Oh, hey Carrie, what's up?" he greeted her in his usual happy tone. "You have gotta see this. It's hilarious," Carrie insisted for him to follow. Darwin nodded agreeing to see whatever Carrie was one about. She floated off and Darwin followed her.

They arrived to the cafeteria, and Carrie lead Darwin come over to Gumball who was sitting at a table alone, staring at his food plate and eating with his Mp3 player in his ears. He was just as emotionally troubled as he was before. "He'll agree to anything. It's funny, just watch," Carrie claimed showing excitement in her voice which was rare. She grinned before floating up beside the young feline.

"Hey, Gumball," she greeted him. "Hey…" he slightly looked over to her. "Sooo… can I have your music player?" Carrie asked. "Fine…" Gumball answered, pulling it out of his ears and handing it to her. "Can I possess your body whenever I want for the rest of your life?" she added. "Sure…" Gumball responded. "And can I also use your body to commit a chain of robberies?" Carrie asked. "Sure sounds like fun…" he agreed to everything she asked and obeyed every command. Carrie couldn't help but laugh and smile before returning to her normal frown and lack of showing emotion.

"What is wrong with him?" Darwin asked. Carrie shrugged in response. "No idea, but I like it. I gotta tell the others," she responded, laying Gumball's music player back in front of him. He didn't even bother to pick it up and just let his head slam into the table. Carrie floated away excitedly and Darwin sat down beside his big brother.

"Dude, what happened to you?! Did Penny break up with you or something?" Darwin asked the first thing he could think of. "We weren't really together in the first place…Her dad didn't approve of dating, only on just being friends." Gumball answered, his tone not changing at all. Darwin slapped his fin at his own face. "Just tell me what's wrong then!" he shouted, getting infuriated by this which he rarely was. "Nothing, I've just realized that there was a lie filling a hidden hole inside of my life, and now that I have found out about this lie that hole has become bigger," Gumball answered not wanting to tell Darwin the truth, but this scared his brother over the way he spoke. "…fine… if you won't tell me, I'll go figure it out myself," he exclaimed. He walked away from his feline brother planning on questioning their friends.

End of Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3 Admittance

Chapter 3: Admittance

Gumball had gotten through the rest of his school day like it was nothing. Darwin had spent any time in between classes to question their friends in order to try and figure out what was wrong with his very depressed brother, but he could figure out nothing wrong. Gumball was at his locker, but as he closed it he heard a light airy voice call to him. "Hey, Gumball," he looked over and saw a familiar face. "Oh, hey Teri," Gumball greeted her, feeling awkward since he thought that she disliked him a lot. Teri is a thirteen and a half year old crumpled paper bear. He knew her as a bit of a hypochondriac, spending a lot of time in the nurse's office due to believing that she was plagued with a lot of ailments that are more than likely all in her head.

"Are you okay?" Teri asked since rumors of him recently turning emo had been slightly spreading. Gumball had been lost in his thoughts too long. He figured and was thinking that he should at least try to act happy no matter how he felt inside. "Uh, yeah, just… just fine," he responded with a nervous chuckle while putting his backpack on his back. "I heard you got extra homework from Miss Simian," she started. He nodded knowing that rumors about that were probably spreading too. "Actually, I kind of wanted it…" Gumball corrected Teri but saw the surprised expression on her face and knew the reason behind it.

"Well I kind of got stuck with some too. You wanna come over to my house? Like a little study slumber party," Teri offered still making Gumball feel awkward, but he nodded in agreement. "Sounds like fun," he said since now that he thought of it, he had never really seen Teri's house before. He followed her out of school since they had both missed the bus because they had spent so much time talking in the hall.

Gumball heard his cellphone ringing, pulling it out and flipping it open. It was his mother calling, but Gumball didn't even want to stomach talking to her right now. He turned his cellphone off and put it away in his backpack. "So what happened to you? Carrie was talking about you becoming emo," Teri asked while they walked the streets of Elmore City, the sky full of dark clouds looking like it was about to rain sometime soon. He sighed thinking that he had to tell someone about this to get it off his chest. "…my dad's dead, that's all," Gumball sadly answered, surprising Teri. "Oh, I'm sorry, Gumball. I had no idea. When did he die?" she apologized thinking that she reopened an emotional wound.

"Fourteen years ago," Gumball answered now confusing her since she had seen his father before nowhere near that long ago. "I'll explain later," he claimed. While they continued walking, he kept on getting slightly upset. He sighed when they arrived to Teri's house seeing her parents not home yet, although it was normal. Gumball looked around inside the house. It was neat and tidy, which reminded him of the kind of home Nicole tried to keep, but was next to impossible to do for longer than a day, but Gumball knew that Teri was a bit of a neat freak.

"You sure this is okay?" Gumball asked not wanting to get Teri into trouble with her parents. "Yeah, they trust me a lot. So you want to continue what you were saying?" Teri responded still curious to what he had told her. "I found out the big guy living at my house isn't my real dad. I heard him and mom arguing. I followed mom to my real dad's grave," Gumball simply explained as calmly as he could, still trying to act like he wasn't depressed but it wasn't hard to notice that he had a really sour expression while explaining it. "…That must be hard to take in all at once…" she said while putting her backpack down.

"Yeah… I don't know whether to celebrate my own birthday anymore or see it as a curse. It feels like both! Just don't tell anyone please," Gumball pleaded for her to keep it secret. "Don't worry about it. I'm not really a secret talker," Teri claimed, showing that she will definitely keep it secret.

Teri sighed while putting her homework on the coffee table, Gumball placing his there too, seeing the difference in size, the stacks of homework being completely different. They at least had each other's help. "Thanks for listening. I just had to tell someone. If you ever need help, just ask," Gumball said. "I told you, don't worry about it. But thanks," she responded glad to know that she had someone to turn to whenever she needed help. They got back to their homework, in belief that it was about to take a while to finish it all especially Gumball's.

End of Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4 A fun night

Chapter 4: A Fun Night

Gumball had spent the next part of the day working on his homework with Teri. They helped each other out when needed and though Gumball was a lot happier than he was earlier in the day. He was just trying to act happy, thinking if he kept acting mopey they will find out what he knew. He just sighed in relief, feeling tired when he finally finished the homework. "I think we'll get some good grades for these," Teri said with a smile before getting up and going to the kitchen which was wide open from the living room. "Where's the stapler? I don't want to lose any of it…" she asked herself. Gumball was just glad that he had made friends with her, or he thought he did. It was hard to tell.

Gumball tried to rest and relax until he suddenly heard a slight yelp of pain that made him get up and go to the kitchen. "Is something wrong, Teri?" he asked checking up on her. She pulled an old rusty pushpin from her hand. "Yeah, yeah, sorry. I was just rummaging through the drawer and grabbed the wrong thing. Here," Teri claimed that she was fine before showing him the stapler. He took it and nodded, just taking her word for it.

A while later, Teri was in her room, Gumball turned on his cellphone, seeing a lot of missed calls from his home. He dialed the number and held the cellphone up to his ear, just waiting while it rang.

"Hello?" his mother Nicole answered. "Hi, mom~" Gumball responded a lot happier than he was earlier that day. "Gumball! Thank goodness you called! Honey, what's wrong?" she asked her son worriedly since Darwin had told his family about the young feline's major depression. "Whadd'ya mean mom?" Gumball asked confusedly in a cheerful tone. "Darwin told me you were upset. You wouldn't even act like yourself," Nicole explained what she had been told. He knew that he had been acting really sour for the whole school day.

"Oh uh… yeah, I just had a bad start. That's all. I'm spending the night at Teri's house if that's okay?" Gumball asked. This then relieved his mother's worries. "Oh uh, yeah, sure. I need to help your father wrap the gifts anyway. Have fun honey," she responded and hung up. The mention of father annoyed Gumball with no end, making him growl with his sharp teeth showing. He hung up as well and rubbed his head. "Alright, the inflated bed is set up," Teri called over while coming from her room, but saw how irritated Gumball was. "You okay?" she asked. "Yeah, just got a headache," Gumball fibbed. He got up and followed Teri up to her room.

When Gumball arrived to her room, he saw how tidy it was like the rest of the house. He saw the small inflatable bed on the floor but then noticed something on the dresser. It was a giraffe made out of paper. Gumball picked it up. "What's this?" he asked Teri as she took it from him. "It's origami. I sometimes do it when I'm bored," she said.

Teri went and opened one of her dresser drawers that was full of different origami folded figures. She put it in with the rest of them like it was a big collection and closed the drawer. "That's awesome! I can only make paper hats," Gumball claimed. Teri gave Gumball a smiled which he noticed. "Maybe I could show you how to make one, if you do me a favor " she started making him raise an eyebrow. "Uh yeah, sure, what?" he asked. "You're good at drawing, right?" Teri asked. Gumball nodded in response. "I'm decent at it, but Darwin tops me by far," he answered awkwardly rubbing his arm.

"Would you draw me a fake tattoo on my arm?" Teri pleaded. Gumball didn't see any harm in it, so he nodded knowing that she liked doing that but always had trouble doing it herself. "Alright, but you gotta show me how to do origami first," he claimed. Teri nodded in agreement. She took out some paper and put it on the desk in front of him. "Sure, is a dragon good?" she asked. He nodded happily.

Gumball and Teri spent the next few hours of the night doing what the other asked. "I think I about… yes!" Gumball cheered raising his arms victoriously with a paper dragon in his hands, after hours of trying to make one. "And you didn't do half bad on my fake tattoo either. I can't wait to show it off tomorrow~" Teri added happily, looking down at the fake flaming snake drawn on her left arm. It gave Gumball creeps that of all things she wanted him to draw that on her arm "Well I'm gonna go to bed. Goodnight," Gumball told her, leaving the paper dragon on the desk. Teri took it and put it in the drawer with the rest of the origami figures. She then switched off the light and went to bed, but her hand suddenly burned slightly which confused her, but she ignored it.

Gumball yawned as he woke up to the sound of an alarm clock. He got up, turning it off and stretching. He saw Teri still asleep. Gumball looked around the hall and saw her parents room door shut tight. "Huh… I guess they work graveyard shifts a lot," he thought since he had never got to meet them last night and thought he wouldn't. Gumball saw the time and knew that the bus was probably going to be there soon. He went over and lightly shook Teri until she woke up groaning. Her hand and wrist was hurting but she just presumed that she had slept on it.

"Are you okay?" Gumball asked. "Yeah, thanks for waking me," Teri thanked him glad that he was a lot happier than he was before. "No problem. Thanks for having me over, i owe you for cheering me up." Gumball replied to her. "Don't worry about it. It was a lot more fun than I thought it would be, that's for sure," she claimed. They heard the sound of a horn honking outside from the bus. They went and grabbed their bags, running outside to catch the bus.

When they got on the bus, Gumball smiled going to the back of the bus where his siblings were while Teri took an empty seat alone. The other students were surprised to have seen Gumball come from her house.

"Hey, Gumball you okay?" Anais asked. "Yeah," the young feline answered smiling. "Why were you at Teri's, dude?" Darwin questioned confusedly. "We both got stuck with a lot of homework and had to help each other out on it," Gumball claimed and sighed while the bus drove off to the school, and in the meantime, Teri was showing off the tattoo to some of her friends.

End of Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5 Returning the favor

Chapter 5: Returning the Favor

Gumball had been trying to get through the school day like normal, but in-between one of the classes, he heard his cellphone ringing. He pulled it out flipping it open he held it up to his ear. "Hello?" Gumball answered. "H-hey… Gumball…" he heard Teri respond sounding weak and tired. "Teri?" he said confusedly not sure if it was really her or not. "D-do you… remember… when you said… you owed me…?" Teri asked. "Yeah, it was only last night. What's wrong?" he asked in response. "I think I caught something bad… I feel so weak… can you come help me?" she explained what was wrong. Normally Gumball wouldn't believe her due to her being partially a hypochondriac, but he could tell by how she sounded that something was wrong.

"Of course I will. Just tell me where you are," gumball answered thinking that he was probably going to be late for class afterwards. "Outside…" Teri responded. "I'll be right there," Gumball hung up and immediately threw his backpack in his locker, slamming it shut and dashing off. Other students looked at him confusedly when he ran by, but they ignored it while going back to class.

Gumball was outside panting. He looked around seeing the normal basketball court with various basketball items around. He saw Teri under one of the shady trees at a table.

Once he caught his breath, Gumball went up to her. "Teri! What's wrong?" he asked worried for her well-being "I'm just… not feeling good… I'm too weak to walk…" Teri explained. Gumball just looked over his shoulder. Seeing no one else around made him annoyed since he knew that he wasn't going to get any form of help. "Don't worry, I'll take you to the nurse's office," Gumball reassured her knowing that she didn't weigh so much. He picked her up bridal style seeing the fake tattoo he had drawn on her. The drawing hadn't changed at all. "Don't go to fast…" Teri said since she felt somewhat queasy.

"Alright, but… of all your friends, why'd you call me?" Gumball asked her confusedly while beginning to make the slow walk back into the school. Teri sniffled lightly. "I-I did. N-no one else I called either didn't answer… or d-didn't be-believe me. T-they just said 'calm down and don't t-think about it'…" she claimed. He saw a few tears pour out of her eyes. Gumball knew that some of her friends weren't exactly the nicest and if it wasn't for how weak she sounded, he wouldn't have believed her himself. "Well don't you worry, you're in good hands. I'll get you to the nurse…" he reassured her while continuing through the empty halls.

Once Gumball arrived to the nurse's office with Teri in his arms, he saw the door open up and saw the nurse standing in front of him. "Hello, Gumball... oh my goodness, what happened?" the nurse asked. "I don't know. She just got weaker and weaker and suddenly couldn't walk," Gumball explained what he knew so far. "Bring her in, bring her in," the nurse said. Gumball listened to her and laid Teri down on the examination table.

"Thanks... Gumball…" Teri said to him while lying there. "I owed you anyway. I'll see you later," Gumball responded, getting a note from the nurse to turn into their teacher. He hesitantly walked away hoping that she will be alright.

Gumball arrived to his classroom fifteen minutes late. When he entered he immediately was greeted by Miss Simian. "And where were you?" she demanded to know. He handed her Teri's homework and his too. "I was in the nurse's office. Sorry, Miss Simian," Gumball apologized giving her the note as well. It surprised her that he was at least being honest. "Right, go take your seat. Class, I'll be back in a few minutes. I have to go place a phone call," Miss Simian told the class before leaving since she had to call Teri's parents.

Gumball took a seat at his desk, but then he noticed a few eyes on him, even though most of the class was doing their own things while the teacher was away. "What happened?" another student named Penny Fitzgerald asked. She was a cheerleader who was an anthropomorphic peanut with antlers. She had a crush on the young feline but he was nowhere aware of it. "Teri was sick. She couldn't even walk she called me and I had to carry her to the nurse's office," Gumball explained what had happened. "Oh wow, dude…" Darwin said in awe at hearing this.

Penny was shocked by this. "S-she called me too, b-but I thought she was just over reacting to a cold or something," Penny claimed that Teri had called her too. Gumball gave a glare at her, feeling ashamed how she reacted to Teri's call for help. "Yeah, I'm more than aware," he responded and turned his back to get back to his schoolwork. He was more focused ever since he found out about Triston. "Hey uh, Gumball" he heard Carrie and Penny say in unison catching his attention. He turned around. "Uh, yeah?" Gumball asked confusedly with a raised an eyebrow.

Penny stayed quiet letting the ghostly girl talk first. "I found a Deas Vail CD if you wanna listen to it after school?" Carrie offered. She had taken an interest to the young feline ever since he had gotten depressed. "Sure, sounds cool," Gumball answered before averting his attention to Penny. "What'd you want to ask me?" he asked. "Nothing…" she responded, getting annoyed and slightly jealous. Somehow the way Gumball was acting differently was making people like him more. Darwin was noticing this as well.

Miss Simian came back shortly after calling Teri's parents, and they continued class like normal. Everyone was working on a test when she caught sight of something out of the glimpse of her eye. She saw Carrie trying to pass a note to Gumball, so she swiped it. "And what is this?" she questioned and opened the not. "what's the answer to #5?" This didn't make her happy at all. "So you have trouble, eh? You can learn some in detention then!" Miss Simian shrieked. Gumball didn't want his friend to get into trouble so he sighed before speaking. "It's my fault, Simian. We… uh… planned to help each other yesterday," he lied.

"Hm, really? Detention for both of you then," Miss Simian responded. Gumball nodded and got back to his test. Carrie glanced at the kitten. She was confused as to why he basically risked his own after school time for this. She decided that she would ask him later.

End of Chapter 5


	6. Chapter 6 An odd relationship

Chapter 6: An Odd Relationship

Shortly after school ended, Darwin was getting his items at his locked, knowing that his brother was probably in detention at the moment. "Hey, Darwin," he turned around and saw Penny standing there. "Oh, hi Penny," he greeted her in his usual happy tone. They stood there in awkward silence for a brief moment before Penny sighed. "Do you know what's wrong with Gumball? He isn't like himself," Penny asked. Darwin shrugged in response. "I don't know. He was really depressed the other day. I asked him what's wrong and he wouldn't answer me either," he claimed saddened by this while students were leaving since the school day was over.

"Nothing at all? There has to be a reason. I think I even made him mad earlier," Penny responded since she remembered the glare she received from the blue cat when she admitted to ignoring Teri's call for help. "I just hope he'll go back to normal after his birthday," Darwin said what the only thing they could hope for was, or at least to him. "…D-Do you think he isn't interested in me anymore?" she suddenly blurted out making his eyes widen, even though he knew that she probably wanted advice. "He hasn't changed that much. Maybe you could show your affection more," Darwin reassured her, but was having doubts about it himself. Penny nodded and left shortly after her worries were slightly calmed by the young goldfish. Darwin just headed off to go back home.

In detention, Gumball was sitting at his desk, feeling bored with his head resting on his arm. "Hey, Gumball, can you do that thing again?" Carrie asked. Gumball sighed in response. "Yeah, sure," he responded, holding out his left hand and showing multiple cut marks on the palm of it. He made his claws come out of his other hand and claw the palm of his hand. "At least you showed me something to do as a stress reliever," Gumball told her at least that's what he had been tricked into believing by the ghostly girl while blood dripped from his hand.

Carrie enjoyed this so much. There was another emo in this school and someone to share her pain with. "Can I have a taste of your pain?" she asked. Gumball awkwardly glanced around the empty room and sighed knowing that there was no other kids in detention at the one time he'd wish there were since they were in there alone for a few hours, with the teacher who was supposed to supervise them, but was asleep out of boredom.

"Sure…" he hesitantly answered, letting Carrie drink the small amount of blood that was coming from his palm. She licked her lips enjoying the taste. "Mmm… suffering, my favorite flavor… I miss being able to do that to myself," she said. Gumball looked away feeling creeped out to a degree though he knew that she could tell how depressed he was, even while he didn't act like it. Gumball was unsure of how to respond to Carrie's actions and thought that it was normal.

Gumball heard his cellphone ring. He pulled it out, flipped it open and held it up to his ear. "Hello?" he answered. "Hey, Gumball," it was Teri. He was relieved to hear that she was alright. "Hey, Teri, are you okay?" he asked. "Yeah. Apparently I've got a bad infection from that rusty old pushpin. I'll be back tomorrow though. I just thought I'd call and say thanks a lot," Teri exclaimed with an even more cheerful tone. "Well sorry to hear. I'm stuck in detention now. See ya around," he said before hanging up, sighing in relief as he lay his head on the desk and tried to sleep through the detention.

Later on, Carrie and Gumball had been let out of detention. "Thanks for letting me… uh… do that…" she said awkwardly. "No problem," he responded, but there was something on the ghostly girl's mind. "Why'd you try to cover me in class?" she asked wanting to know what his whole reason behind doing it was. "I was going to take the blame myself, but uh… that backfired," Gumball answered nervously. Carrie pulled her CD player out of the bag. "Wanna go somewhere and listen to this?" she offered since school was far from over.

"May as well," Gumball answered, thinking that he had to do more homework anyway. That was some punishment he also received on top of the detention. Gumball left the school with Carrie. "But I pick the place," she claimed. He reluctantly agreed to it as well.

After a while, Carrie had led Gumball to a graveyard. He didn't like being in them, but he knew Carrie liked them a lot. The two were sitting under a dead, leafless tree, both having one ear piece in their ear and the CD player between them both. "So, Gumball… anything you want for your birthday?" she asked if he was looking for anything specific. "I don't know. I don't really care either…" Gumball responded still with some depression behind his voice and that just made her grin.

After a few hours, they had done their homework and had been simply relaxing around the whole town, listening to the same music over and over again until Gumball had fallen asleep at one point. Gumball felt something shake him awake as he groaned and sat up. It was starting to get dark and Carrie was shaking him awake. "Ugh… Carrie? What is it?" he asked confusedly. "Nothing, I just thought I'd wake you up," she responded.

Gumball stood up and pulled the ear piece out of his ear. "Thanks… well, I'll see you at school tomorrow, Carrie. It's been fun!" Gumball responded before running off, having to get home right away, leaving the ghostly girl floating there questioning an odd feeling she was having. A grin curved on her face while watching the young feline leave.

End of Chapter 6


	7. Chapter 7 Science partners

Chapter 6: Science Partners

Gumball was arriving home after the strange time he had spent with Carrie in detention and the graveyard. He was trying to forget about it as he entered the house to find his mother cooking. "Oh, hey honey. Where were you?" she asked while he took a seat at the table and sighed. "In detention," he answered seeing his mother sigh. "What for?" she asked since no one else was in the kitchen. "I just messed up while trying to help Carrie, that's all," Gumball answered. His mother went and rubbed his head. "At least you were trying to help someone. Are you excited for your birthday?" Nicole asked smiling, expecting him to be a lot more excited than he was acting for it.

"I don't know…" Gumball responded. Nicole raised an eyebrow thinking that it just was part of him growing up and changing as he got older, though she mentally prayed that he wouldn't turn into a depressed boy which seemed like a fifty-fifty thing right now. Nicole was calling the rest of the family to dinner, Gumball still despising even being near Richard.

Gumball had gone to bed a while later along with Anais and Darwin. The younger siblings were unaware of what was wrong with Gumball, now knowing his reasons for being depressed. They only hoped that his birthday which was coming the day after tomorrow would cheer him up.

During the next day at school, Gumball and Darwin were sitting together in science class mixing together random chemicals while the teacher was waking up, having been asleep most of the time. "Oh uh… right, class, I nearly forgot. We have a small science project competition. You will be paired up in teams of two. Whoever has the best project will get an A+ no matter what," the teacher explained. This made the classroom start talking while Gumball and Darwin presumed that they were going to get paired up by default.

The teacher stood up. "Quiet down class! Now then… let's pair you up. Darwin, you're with Carmen," he said. Darwin looked over toward the back of the class seeing an anthropomorphic cactus that looked angry. He gulped knowing that she was going to be upset if they didn't win. The teacher continued to pair up other students while Gumball was just laid back in his chair. "And Gumball, you're teamed up with Masami," the teacher announced. "What?!" a girl screamed. Gumball groaned and looked, over seeing a living cloud floating up to the teacher. He knew her as the daughter of the owner of the Rainbow Factory which his mother Nicole worked at, but for the most part, Masami was spoiled rotten.

"You can't pair me up with Gumball!" Masami protested. Gumball just stayed quiet while the teacher groaned. "Well, it's either him or Tobias," the teacher whispered to her. Masami looked over to the kitten and groaned. "Fine…" she mumbled. She floated over beside him while the rest of the class was trading seats between each other to get alongside their partners.

After the school day was over, the students were all leaving to get to work on their science projects. Gumball was walking with Masami. "So, uh, you wanna do it at my house or yours?" he asked feeling awkward since he had never hung out with Masami so much. Even though they were somewhat friends, they both knew that he wasn't too smart. "May as well be yours," Masami responded. He nodded agreeing to it while discussing plans.

While on the way, Gumball was calming Masami, talking to her with ideas for what to do. The both of them were laughing all the way. "You can spend the night with me if you want," he offered her since they only had a couple of days. "Thanks, but I need to get the stuff for tomorrow, test tubes and such. Chemicals are the easiest to work with," Masami declined his offer. Gumball nodded understanding. "I'll try not to blow us up tomorrow. See ya then," Gumball said with a smile before leaving the cloud girl floating there confused. She was thinking that this might not go nearly as bad as she thought it would be since he seemed focused on it just like her.

End of Chapter 6


	8. Chapter 8 Science Project Problems

Chapter 8: Science Project Problems

At the very next day, Gumball was in his garage with Masami. His mom had moved the car to let them make their science project in there due to a fear of something going terrible wrong in the house. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice. "Yeah, we already voted to a yes on the idea. Do you have something really colorful we can test?" Masami asked. Gumball nodded, putting one of his mother's Rainbow Factory pins on the table that had a set of chemicals and test tubes on it as well.

"You sure your mom won't mind us using this?" Masami questioned. Gumball shrugged. "She has a ton in her drawer, one for each year she's worked. I doubt she'll notice," Gumball responded hoping this would go well. "So, we agreed to make a chemical that will change the color of something else?" she asked if they were agreed to what they had planned on to try and change the colors of items with some chemicals, thinking what it will be something useful for the rainbow factory as well. "Well, let's get started," they said in unison. The cloud girl was still amazed that the young kitten was in the same train of thought that she was on, actually starting to have hopes this might go well.

After a few hours of randomly mixing chemicals, Gumball and Masami had made a weird multicolor mixture. "Alright, let's test it," Masami said. Gumball gulped while pouring a small bit of it onto the Rainbow Factory pin, seeing it do nothing. "Kinda smells like soda… we might have just made a drink," Gumball said looking at the multicolored chemicals. "Well at least we've got something out of it," Masami claimed not amused. She took it and drank it. Gumball wasn't wrong. It did taste like soda, but then Gumball saw the rainbow colors on the pin all having turned purple he gulped nervously.

"Uh, Masami," Gumball said in attempts to stop her but he was far from too late. She had already drunk the mixture. "Huh? What'd you use to make it change colors?" Masami asked oblivious to the thought of what she drank might be the cause of it. "I'm no scientist, but uh… I'm sure we can fix it," he responded awkwardly. The white cloud of Masami was now turning into a light shade of purple. "What? Is a spider on me?" she asked fearfully. Gumball looked away hesitantly before pointing to the window. She floated up to it confusedly but saw her reflection in it. Masami let out a loud, bloodcurdling scream.

"Is something wrong?" the two heard and saw Anais standing at the door, but she got her answer when she saw the now purple Masami. "Yeah, I messed up big time," Gumball answered before the cloud girl could get angry at him. He was already taking responsibility for his actions when it wasn't entirely his fault. She floated down again and sighed. "No, no, I shouldn't have drank any kind of chemicals, no matter how they tasted," Masami claimed while calming down.

"Hey Anais, you're a smart rabbit. Do you… uh… think you could help out with this?" Gumball asked, but his younger sister shrugged. She was more confused by how he was acting since usually he wouldn't admit, but she was smart no matter what. "Fine… dad broke the television anyway," Anais said with a sigh, closing the door and joining the other two in the current science insanity, still planning to use the now purple rainbow factory pin as a test object.

After multiple hours of testing different kinds of chemical mixtures, they managed to turn the pin green, red, blue, colorless and black. After a while they finally saw it turn back into its normal rainbow color. Gumball held the small test tube, offering it to Masami. "This might fix it. And if not, you'll at least look colorful," he said jokingly. Anais slapped her paw on her face, not liking Gumball's words at all. Masami sighed not seeing any harm in drinking it if all it did was change her color. Shortly after drinking it, she saw her color go back to normal and looked at herself in the reflection of the window.

"Oh my god, you did it!" Masami squealed excitedly. Gumball rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "It was nothing. Anais did most of the work," he said, but noticed that the young pink rabbit had left once it had worked, apparently out of boredom. "Either way, thanks. I owe you both that. We still need to finish our project," Masami said not wanting to think of how it will be at school if she arrived like that. "I… think we got it already…" Gumball said grinning as he looked at the chemicals that still had some left in them, thinking that they could use them.

"Wow… we made our project while trying to cure me…" Masami claimed surprised by this. "Hehe, yep… we gotta turn this in tomorrow and it's starting to get late. I'll see ya at school tomorrow, and don't worry, I'll handle how to show it off," Gumball exclaimed that he will handle the demonstration. Masami happily nodded. "Thanks a lot… and thanks again for helping me," she responded. She approached Gumball and planted a kiss on his cheek before leaving. Gumball's eyes widened as he stood still in the garage, shocked and embarrassed by this one kiss. He shook it off, thinking of it as a friendly reward, and gathered everything up.

End of Chapter 8


	9. Chapter 9 Realization

Chapter 9: Realization

It was another simple day at school. Darwin was happy since it was Gumball's birthday today, and he was hoping that this will bring him out of his depression. However, he noticed something. He hadn't seen his older brother at all in between classes. It was now lunchtime, and he still hadn't seen him. He was questioning if he was doing something, but then Darwin heard a strange rattling noise from the neighboring locker which belonged to Tobias. He raised an eyebrow, kicking the dial on the locker which opened it instantly. It was an easy way to open any of the lockers.

Darwin looked inside and saw Gumball in it. Suddenly he pulled Darwin inside and slammed the locker shut. "Dude, what's going on?" Darwin asked but his older sibling covered his mouth with his hand, making him quiet down. "S-something's up with the girls, man," Gumball whispered making the goldfish scratch his head. "Oh yeah, Rachel said something was up with them," he said referring to his girlfriend and recalling previous conversations he had earlier today.

"They're all scaring me. They all want me to hang out with them at once," Gumball whispered seeing his younger sibling chuckle. "I think they all like you dude, as in really like you. Penny kept talking to me about it sometimes," Darwin said happily. "…why would they like me?! I haven't even made any relationships with any of them!" Gumball screamed fearfully, feeling foolish for being completely unaware of it. The only hint he saw from any of them was from Masami and Penny.

"I don't know man I mean you did save Teri's life…" Darwin started. Gumball's ears lowered down. "Yeah, I did," he admitted remembering how he helped Teri when none of her friends would. "And you've done a lot with Penny before," he recalled. Gumball nodded continuing to agree with him. "You also cured Masami from being purple, and I think Carrie likes your new mood," Darwin finished recalling what Anais had told him.

"…oh man, you're right! What do I do?!" Gumball wondered and gulped, wondering what to do now as he trembled in fear. "Simple, you pick one," Darwin answered, but could tell that he was even more terrified. "That's impossible man!" Gumball responded. "Well I have no other ideas," he responded. They opened up the locker door, climbed out of it and closed it back. However, when Gumball saw Carrie float by he was gone in an instant. Darwin sighed feeling sorry for his brother.

Gumball was just trying to keep hidden away from them, but then he saw Penny and Masami down the hall. He immediately zoomed into what he thought was an empty classroom and locked it behind him. He was panting heavily until he heard someone. "Uh, dude?" he looked over, seeing Tobias in the classroom. "Oh, Tobias, I'm glad I found you!" Gumball said while pacing back and forth panicking lightly.

"Well, what's up dude?" Tobias asked since he was an on-and-off friend to the young feline. "I got multiple girls that actually love me," Gumball explained his situation to him. "Oh, you too, eh? ...yeah, I'm having a bit of a similar situation. How many?" Tobias asked like it was nothing. "F-four…" he answered nervously. His friend threw a book in front of him. "Way more than me, I only got two on me. I need to get going, so see ya. Oh and happy birthday, man. Just… uh… consider that my gift" Tobias bid him farewell before leaving the classroom, claiming the book he left will be his gift.

Gumball saw the book was a 'Those with Problems' book. He picked it up and flipped to the page holder that Tobias had left marked. "Four ways to choose from multiple girls," he questioned if this was right to turn to a book of all things for help and advice, but sighed knowing it would be be strange to talk to his mother about it, and knew Richard was unhelpful about it, and it was one of the times when he really needed help. Gumball sighed thinking back on when he found his real father's grave, asking himself if he was still alive, he would be of any help in this situation.

Gumball just looked down, beginning to read it the first tip. "Analyze your relationships with the girls. Know what you want from them and ensure that all of them like you," Gumball gulped. He didn't need to give a second thought about that. He knew by now that they did and wanted nothing from them as far as he was aware. He moved onto the second tip. "Know which girls are closest to you and find the ones that are serious about getting with you."

This nearly made Gumball rip the page out, because it was the exact same thing. He was close with all of them and he knew by now that they all were serious about them getting with him after a few conversations he had secretly listened in on. He then read the third tip. "Which girl makes you happy? Which one would you want to spend time with, and what about them makes you smile? And not just because they're hot," the tip read. Gumball's eye twitched. All four of the girls made him happy but at the moment, especially this book was not helping him in the slightest.

Gumball was now at the fourth and last tip. "After you know how each of them feel and act, make your choice. But remember, be careful, because this is a very important decision." It was now helpful at all. Gumball chucked the book out the window. "I hate you, Tobias…" he angrily muttered to himself. He then just questioned himself, where was there left to do.

End of Chapter 9


	10. Chapter 10 The decision an teri's ending

Chapter 10: The Decision

Gumball had spent the rest of the school day, thinking to himself and wondering what to do. He had ended up missing his last two classes, and before he knew it the bell rang as the school day ended. He got up and sighed to himself. "I think I know who to pick…" he told himself but mentally prayed that he wasn't making the wrong choice. He sighed again and left the class since a lot of his friends were going to be at his house to try and throw him a surprise birthday party, just like what was thrown every year.

Gumball pulled out his cellphone to call somebody. "Hello? Yeah, can you meet me in the fourth classroom? ...Alright, see ya then," he said to the anonymous person and hung. He sat back down to begin waiting. The clock was ticking like it was taking forever.

Gumball saw Teri enter the classroom. "Hey, Gumball," she greeted him with a smile as the door closed behind her. "Hey, Teri," Gumball greeted her. She was still daunting the fake snake tattoo he had drawn on her left arm. "I… uh… wanted to talk to you… about something important," Gumball started. Teri raised an eyebrow and nodded, sitting beside him and being ready to listen.

"Teri, you're the only person who knows the truth behind my family. The others tried to cheer me out of my depression but I never had more fun with them than with you. I'll never be able to forget that horrid secret," Gumball started. Teri was confused, but she understood what he meant for the most part.

"So what are you trying to say?" Teri asked him. Gumball let out a deep sigh and admitted. "I… uh… want to… date you… i-if that's okay anyway!" Gumball hesitantly stuttered and answered. Teri slightly blushed and nodded. "Y-yeah, sure, a date… that sounds nice," Teri responded. The young cat had a smile as he got up and sighed. "Well I can imagine my house is probably packed for a party," Gumball claimed, knowing how it was like every year, but then he was stopped by her.

"Listen, I know it's hard not knowing your dad, but are you going to confront your parents about it?" Teri asked him. It was something that possibly pondered in the kitten's head with no end. Gumball just groaned. "…I want to, but something wants me not to. My dad's gone, and if I dwell on it, then I might not end up any better," Gumball told her with the rare seriousness that was showing a lot lately. "Well… then consider this my birthday gift," she caught his attention. Gumball raised an eyebrow, but then Teri leaned close to Gumball and planted a kiss on his kitty face. Gumball's eyes widened and they just looked at each other with silence taking over.

"I'm loving this birthday so far already…" Gumball claimed. He took Teri's hand as they both started making their way out of school. Teri was glad that he was now seemingly back to normal, just with another secret to keep and someone to keep it with.

The End


	11. Chapter 11 Teri's ending Epilogue

Chapter 11: Epilogue

Six years had passed since Gumball had settled and let his aggression against Richard go away. He was now a lot older, and currently he was loading multiple boxes onto the back of a car. His mother Nicole was standing on the porch alongside Richard, Anais and Darwin. All of them, especially Anais and Darwin were now older, watching happily as their family member was moving out of their house. "Are you ready?" he heard and saw Teri coming around the car. She had a big stomach now, and had quite drastically, having a gold ring on her finger. "Yeah honey, let's go," Gumball responded with a hum to his voice.

Gumball climbed into the car. In the back seat, there was a baby car seat, showing a blue baby kitten in the back seat that was asleep, snuggling under a purple blanket. "Gummy couldn't look anymore adorable if he tried," Gumball said referring to their newborn son. He looked mostly like his father, but the only resemblance to his mother Teri was a tail made out of paper. "I'm glad you forgave your parents for keeping that secret from you," Teri said with a smile. Gumball chuckled back at her. "Yeah… too bad he won't get to know his real grandpa, neither will his little sister, or brother," Gumball responded nervously.

"Nothing we can't tell them when they're old enough to understand," Teri winked. She was pregnant with another child. Gumball smiled as he drove away with his wife and son to continue his life, leaving his family behind. As he departed, he knew that secrets can hurt at most times, but can also open up new beginnings, and on top of that, he liked his new beginning a lot.

The End...


	12. Chapter 12 The decision penny's ending

Chapter 12: The Decision - Penny's Ending

Gumball was sitting in the classroom. He was practically spending the rest of the school day in there, thinking to himself, but it wasn't so much wasted. Gumball then let out a sigh. "I think I've made up my mind," he told himself mentally praying that he wasn't making the wrong choice. The bell soon rang, indicating that school letting the students out. He sighed while getting up, grabbing his backpack and leaving the empty classroom, wandering off to another part of the school.

Gumball arrived to the gym. It was empty aside from a few other students cleaning up the equipment from a dodge ball match that had just finished. He saw penny nearby putting away her cheering equipment, and he gulped as he walked over to her. "Hey, Penny," Gumball greeted her with a smile, surprising her since she hadn't seen him happy at all in the past few days. "Oh, hi Gumball. Are you okay?" Penny asked while relaxing on the bench feeling tired from practice, "Of course I am. Why would I not?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "You just didn't seem happy at all…" she simply answered while wondering what he wanted.

"Listen, Penny… I… uh…" Gumball stuttered and gulped, confusing Penny about what he wanted. Gumball sighed before continuing to speak. "You make me really happy. You've always been a great person to me. I watched all of your cheerleading practices, and I don't care if your father hates me or not. I love you!" Gumball told her how he felt. He looked down feeling horrendously embarrassed.

Penny smiled, having a deep rose blush on her peanut cheeks as she wrapped her arms around him. "I… kinda feel the same way," she admitted. The young feline blushed while they were hugging one another. "W-will you go on a date with me?" he asked with a smile. Gumball had to move on eventually. After all he hated his mother and Richard for keeping the secret of Triston away from him since he was born, but after thinking about it, it was time to forget about it. "Sure, I'd love to," Penny agreed while beginning to leave the gym with Gumball holding her hand. Gumball was glad to be finally moving on in his life.

The End


	13. Chapter 13 Penny's ending epilogue

Chapter 13: Penny's Ending - Epilogue

Six years had passed since Gumball had made his decision. He had decided to move on with his life, and he forgave his mother and Richard for the secret that was kept from him. He was asleep in his bed beside Penny. They had both grown a lot over the years. On the night stand beside the bed was a baby monitor, and the sound of crying could be heard from it. Gumball groaned as he sat up. Penny was awakened by it too. "You got her?" she asked. On her finger was an engagement ring. The two of them were not married yet, but they were planning to do so in roughly a month. "Yeah, don't worry honey," Gumball told her and left the bedroom.

Gumball walked the upstairs hall in his blue and white striped pajamas. He walked by a cage that had a small spider in it. "Hey, Mr Snuggles," Gumball said while passing by it, the pet spider being named after an earlier pet that Penny had owned known as, Mr Cuddles which had sadly passed on, which was how they had wound up with this spider when he had gotten her the pet as a gift.

Gumball entered a room in the middle of the hall, which was a child's nursery. Gumball went over to a nearby crib, where the crying was coming from. He looked over and saw a baby that mostly resembled Penny, but she had kitten ears and a tail. She hiccuped and sniffled, reaching for her father when she saw him.

"Hey Paula… had another bad dream?" Gumball asked while gently picking up the baby girl. Their baby daughter Paula snuggled into him still feeling upset as Gumball went and sat down on a rocking chair, cradling her in his arms as he looked down at her with a smile. "I bet you're excited to visit Uncle Darwin tomorrow," Gumball claimed to her. He had then managed calm her down and it wasn't long before Paula was asleep again in his arms. He just chuckled while standing up and putting Paula back in her crib before he left the room to let her sleep tight.

Beside Paula's crib was a photograph of Gumball's family, Richard, Nicole, Darwin and Anais. It was the last photo they had taken before he had moved out, but beside that Polaroid was a picture of a blue cat in a business suit. It was Triston. Nicole and Richard had told the truth to Gumball before he had moved, and let him have the photograph as a form of apology, even though they had acquired it from Triston's own mother, but the image was a reminder to Gumball of how secrets can hurt someone, but they can also open new paths in life.

The End


	14. Chapter 14 The decision carries ending

Chapter 14: The Decision – Carrie's Ending

Gumball stayed at the classroom for a long time, thinking to himself after school. It was actually starting to get dark outside, and he didn't notice this until the classroom's lighting changed drastically. He stood up and sighed. "I can't escape it. I should let the darkness consume me. Let it be my blanket of misery," Gumball said to himself. He accepted everything that happened throughout the couple of days. Triston was gone, and he would never get to know his real father at all. He was ready to move on, but not in the best of ways. He also had decided on whom to try and date. He was mentally praying to have made the right decision.

At the graveyard, the ghostly girl Carrie was just relaxing with her head resting on a tombstone. It was her usual favorite place to go when she was bored. "Carrie?" she heard as she got up, turning around to see the young feline standing there. "Oh, hey Gumball," Carrie greeted him, but something was off with him. She questioned why he was here when it was starting to get dark. "I need to talk to you," Gumball claimed still confusing her, but she nodded agreeing to talk with him.

Gumball sat down beside Carrie and sighed. "You always talk about your pain, and your suffering, right?" he asked. Carrie nodded in agreement. "It's one of the only feelings I have left," she responded. Gumball sighed before speaking. "I'm going to let my sadness consume me. I don't want to bother fighting it back anymore. It's an endless pain that will kill me inevitably, and until it kills me, I have to walk in the dark forest to slowly die," Gumball claimed telling her how he felt and what he was seeing in his depression right now.

Carrie was in awe, listening to him talk like this. She was glad that she wasn't the only emo in school anymore, but then, she saw him grab her ghostly fingerless hand. "But, I don't want to suffer alone in my eternal darkness," Gumball claimed. Carrie was having a light blush just looking at him. "Don't worry, you won't," Carrie reassured him. They smiled at each other's actions.

The two spent the next few hours, just sitting in the graveyard and talking to each other. Gumball had no intention to leave since it felt a lot more like home. It was odd since he accepted to move on. He felt completely different now. Shortly, he fell asleep under one of the many dead trees that were in the graveyard, and Carrie was snuggling with him as they slept through the night.

The End


	15. Chapter 15 Carries ending epilogue

Chapter 15: Carrie's Ending Epilogue

Six years had passed since Gumball had come to terms with his parents' secret over the years. Gumball and Darwin had moved out by then and had gotten their own homes.

During a weekend, Gumball was driving in a blue Cadillac. He was all grown up, and now had a blue leather jacket and black jeans. "So what is it they called us over for again?" he heard looking over to the passenger seat. Carrie was sitting there in a red dress, having gotten bigger herself with her hair now in a different style. It was still covering one eye, but it seemed longer. She also had a gold band on her fingerless hand. It was the closest thing to an engagement ring Gumball was able to get for her, since an actual ring wouldn't have fit her. "I don't know. Mom just said that they needed to talk to me," Gumball claimed, but he had told her his secret about triston a long time ago.

Once they arrived to Gumball's old home, he parked the car and stepped out, both of them making their way to the door. Gumball rang the doorbell seeing it open up by Anais, who had gotten bigger herself and was now wearing a long orange dress. "Hey, Gumball," she greeted him. Gumball chuckled and rubbed her head. "Hey, Anais," he responded while they came inside, seeing the young rabbit just go back upstairs.

"Oh hey, Gumball, and hello, Carrie," Nicole said. She was now slightly older room, but it wasn't very noticeable. She didn't like Carrie too much since a few years ago she went ahead and blamed the ghostly girl for Gumball's decision to become emo for a few years. Over the time they had both grown out of that phase with each other as well.

"Hey, what is it you called us for?" Carrie asked confusedly while Gumball wanted to know just like her. "Let's talk in the kitchen," Nicole said. Gumball nodded as they followed her into that room, seeing Richard sitting at a table as they all sat down.

"Alright… Gumball, it's been a week since you've got married, and we figured we owed you this much," Nicole started making her son raise an eyebrow. "What is it?" Gumball asked. Just then, he saw Richard show him a photo of a blue cat in a business suit. "It's… your real dad," the big pink rabbit hesitantly claimed. However, they were surprised to see him show no reaction to this. Carrie showed even more shock than her husband did.

"You're not my son, Gumball. I'm sorry, but we just couldn't keep it a secret anymore," Richard explained awkwardly while Gumball stared at the photo. He sighed as he put it away, Carrie patting his back and trying to comfort him but she couldn't tell if he was upset or not. "To tell you the truth, I've known you weren't for a long time," Gumball claimed. "W-what do you mean?" Nicole asked nervously dreading to hear this. It was a secret fear she had.

"I've known for a long time. I heard you two arguing once," Gumball told them how he found out and had known. "Why didn't you say anything?" Richard asked confusedly wondering why he hadn't asked or even showed any reaction to it. "Because… well… if it wasn't for that I probably wouldn't be with Carrie. I thought it'd ruin the family, and I just forgot about Triston," Gumball responded. "I'm sorry, honey. He was a lawyer and I was drunk the night before our wedding," Nicole apologized explaining what had happened to wind up with him. Carrie was glad that it didn't turn into a huge argument like the ones she had before with Nicole, like when she blamed the ghostly girl for making Gumball become emo for those past few years.

Shortly after a while of talking, Gumball and Carrie left to continue their lives, with Triston's photo as a memento which Gumball would keep to himself. While they were driving home, Carrie had to ask an important question. "What's the real reason you didn't confront your parents on this sooner?" Carrie asked sensing that he was lying, but Gumball chuckled. "I wasn't lying back there. I really didn't want to ruin our family by bringing it up. I mean, look at everyone now. Darwin's a father, we're married, and Anais has got into Junior High easily," Gumball answered before leaning over and kissing his wife. As Gumball was smiling all the way, he was glad that there were no more secrets and lies in the family that needed to be dealt with. Not anymore.

The End


	16. Chapter 16 The decision masami's ending

Chapter 16: The Decision - Masami's Ending

Gumball had wound up spending the rest of the day in school, thinking to himself. He was wondering who he will choose, until finally he decided. He left the classroom, having been in here alone in for a long time, sighing as he was mentally praying that he wasn't making the wrong choice. He was made his way through the halls of the school, and once outside, he climbed on the bus, went over and took a seat beside Masami. "Hey uh, Masami," he said catching her attention.

"Oh, hi Gumball," Masami happily greeted him but noticed his odd actions. "Hey… uh… listen. Masami… you remember how you kissed me?" Gumball asked. She nodded, recalling how she had kissed him as a 'thank you' for curing her when their science project went wrong. "Well, I was uh… wondering… if I could maybe repay it with a date?" he offered nervously. He knew that Masami had a few bad boyfriends before that wanted her for nothing more than her money, but Masami felt different with Gumball and didn't get a usual bad vibe about it from him.

"Normally I'd say no and zap you with lightning… but why not?" Masami responded. She decided to give the kitten a chance. Gumball smiled excitedly. He was done with being gloomy and depressed over Triston's death, since he never knew about his real father and never would. After a while of thinking, Gumball declared that it was better to try not to think on it. He also had another thought that his real father might not have been so nice. There were a lot of possibilities, and Gumball decided that it was a lot better if he didn't know or think about him at all.

The End


	17. Chapter 17 Masami's ending epilogue

Chapter 17: Masami's ending - Epilogue

Six years had passed since Gumball had decided not to dwell about Triston. He was driving in a blue Cadillac, wearing a short sleeved light yellow shirt and black jeans. He had aged drastically and changed a lot over the years. "I can't remember the last time I've even seen Darwin," he heard and looked over in the passenger seat to see Masami. She had grown up and become larger for the past six years, but she had put on a considerable amount of weight as well.

"I know what you mean, honey. I think the last time we saw him was at the wedding," Gumball claimed. They had gotten married sometime between the span of six years. They pulled up to a normal house not too far from where Nicole and Richard lived. They went up to the front door and Gumball lightly knocked on it.

Shortly after, Gumball and Masami saw the door open up and see Rachel. She looked cranky and sick, and she was wearing a green nightgown with her hair grown a lot longer. "Oh hey guys," she greeted them, letting them inside and go to the living room. It had a red couch, along with a chair and a coffee table. "Are you okay?" Masami asked worriedly. "Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm fine, I'm just recovering. I bet you'll feel no better once you give birth as well," Rachel responded laughingly. Masami, of course, was pregnant, and they had been in touch with each other for a while like they were true friends.

"Hey, where's Darwin?" Gumball asked while looking around for his brother. Rachel pointed to the kitchen. "He's in there with DJ," she claimed while sitting back down not feeling too good from a recent birth she had went through two weeks ago.

Gumball nodded and entered the kitchen. He looked around seeing Darwin asleep at the kitchen table. He also saw a young purple baby fish sitting in a high chair. Gumball went over and shook Darwin awake. The sleepy goldfish yawned. "Oh hey, Gumball. Long time, no see," he greeted his older brother. He had not changed so much aside from getting bigger.

"Hey, dude. Who's the little guy?" Gumball asked seeing the baby fish just sucking on a pacifier while playing with animal toys. "Oh, that's Darwin Junior. Sorry about that, he kept me up last night," Darwin responded. The baby fish DJ was acting pretty happy seeming to take after his father a lot. Gumball took his seat at the table. "He looks adorable. How've things been?" he asked glad to see his brother after so long.

"Everything's been fine, aside from Rachel's lack of energy. How about you?" Darwin asked how things were for him while he looked into the living room, seeing Masami having a friendly conversation with Rachel. "Fine… Masami's pregnant though. Doctor said it'd be a boy," Gumball answered explaining what a doctor had told them.

"That's great! Got any ideas for names?" Darwin asked while taking DJ out of his highchair and letting him rest in his arms. Gumball nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Masami and I talked about it. We're gonna name him Triston," Gumball claimed. That was just what they were going to name their child. He may have tried to move on and forget about his real dad, but he thought that it was the least he could do in honor of him. He was just glad that he had at last moved on since everything now seemed normal.

The End


End file.
